Wakefield Town Council Notes -- July 15, 2024

Here's what we covered at Monday night's Town Council meeting:

• The Conservation Commission presented a draft of Wakefield's updated Open Space and Recreation Plan. The intention of the plan is to ensure that all Wakefield residents have the ability to enjoy our community's public spaces, and so it was developed with significant community input, including feedback from the Wakefield Youth Council, Council on Aging, and Commission on Disability Issues. The draft plan includes a comprehensive listing of all of Wakefield's public spaces, and a multi-year action plan to preserve and enhance these spaces. The Council will vote on issuing a letter of support for the plan at our next meeting.

• The Town Council established an advisory committee to support the renewal of Wakefield's Housing Production Plan. We are seeking three community members to serve on that committee, representing a mix of homeowners and renters. Information on how to apply is available on the town website.

• Town Administrator Maio provided an update on the spending of Wakefield's federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. Of the $8 million allocated to Wakefield, $4.8 million has been spent over the last three years, and the remaining $3.2 million has been allocated by the Town Council for various purposes. We anticipate that contracts and memorandums of understanding governing the use of these remaining funds will be completed in the next month, and that any funds not obligated will be reallocated to other purposes before the end of the year.

• The Council appointed eight high school students and two middle school students as voting members of the Wakefield Youth Council, and another six high school students as nonvoting members. Thank you and congratulations to all the amazing young people who applied!

• Town Administrator Maio informed us that Wakefield received a state grant for $84,000 to support our ongoing efforts to enhance cybersecurity. The finds will be used for hardware and software enhancements, as well as staff training.

Our next meeting will be on Monday, August 12 at 7:00 PM, by which time hopefully the hot weather will have moderated just a bit. Stay cool and stay safe until then!